I think enough time has passed that I can reveal a secret. At the time of the Movie's release, I worked in a mall across the hall from an arcade. Whenever their machines would malfunction, I would fix them. they always opened the machine doors for me and clicked off lots of credits. When the Tron machine arrived, the instructions said that they were to put it in the back room and not to put it out on the floor until the movie's opening day. they invited me over to play the game in the back room every night after closing. We played for hours every night for the next week. On opening day, everyone around me watching me play the game was amazed at how good I was on the first day!!
When I was a teenager, I worked at a print shop running an AB Dick 360 printing press. One of the jobs that I did was to print the decals for these Tron machines and the action figure packages. Generally, these types of artwork for machines are all done as a 4-color process (CMYK) printing but for Tron we had to print them using actual PMS colors individually. I still remember the headache I had trying to mix that red...it was worse than color matching Coca Cola red. If it was even slightly off, they would reject the entire batch of prints. One time, I had a batch of 150k prints get rejected because of 1 bad print. I had to take all the boxes home and go through them 1 at a time and pick out all the good ones, then print the remainder the next day. Luckily, I only needed to replace about 100 of them due to being the first prints off the line when the rollers weren't completely saturated.
Thank you for the video. Three days ago, I bought a cabinet in very poor condition made of wood, and I was deeply regretting it, thinking I wouldn’t be able to fix it because the sides are very swollen or broken. I see that with a mix of resin, sawdust, wood glue, and filler, it can be repaired, and you’ve given me hope.
Good luck! Also don’t be too afraid to replace the bad wood with new if you have to. I personally like the challenge of repairing it but most people would start new. In any case I hope it turns out great!
@@tcurtis49 Thank you! I don't have much money or tools to cut wood (I only have a $10 jigsaw). I don’t even have a table to work on the wood; I’ll need to buy a couple of wooden sawhorses. But thanks to your videos, I now believe that with a lot of dedication, effort (and plenty of bondo), anything is possible. :)
I really didn't expect myself to sit here and watch the entire hour and 50 minutes, but it was so well put together. Awesome job - and game at that. LOVE the movies. Awesome stuff.
I'd have taken off a larger chunk just to save time. I love restoring things, but actually recompressing the chipboard to its original form ...a bit too much for me. But it's nice to see someone be so meticulous. I plan not to restore a cabinet, but to create a copy of the millepede cabaret, with modern replacement CPU (Pi or PC) but with a CRT.
@@tcurtis49 I make/restore guitar speaker cabinets. I wouldn't have been that patient. LOL I would have measured [and re-measured] to remake the cabinet from scratch out of birch ply.
@@denimadept Probably but I bet it wouldn't feel as rewarding to build a new Tron cabinet as it probably does to save and restore one like this. Not only will the cabinet be special to Tod now but this cabinet which tons of people have probably got memories of playing at their arcade will continue on for a while longer now. Granted the original guts are gone but quite often even non-working things can be sentimental to people. Some of the people who even played on this very cabinet may see this and be glad it got an extra life.
I saw this video recommended to me from the 8-bit guy channel. That man has an arcade! Also, I love seeing stuff getting restored and 100% operational/functional. As for Tron, I have a lot of love for the old movie, Legacy was alright. However, the original was the best. As per this channel, you have gained a new subscriber.
I remember when I first saw this movie, I thought it would be so AWESOME to live in a loft above my own full arcade. My friends would have been so envious.
In the late 80s, when I was around 20, I was an electronics technician in the Navy, living in Maine. I went through a time where I would search through the local dump and get electronics to tinker with. One day I found a "Moon Patrol" arcade game. I scabbed in a power supply and the darn thing worked! It had a little video garbage, but was playable. I hung onto it for a while, but it was lost to the kid-raising and moving of my 20s. 😢
That's a really good find :) It's certainly fun bringing games back to life--and not terribly complicated unless you are dealing with circuit board repairs. Most of them are pretty straightforward. Well, at least straightforward enough to get me into fixing them up!
@tcurtis49 I saw on the map in your video that you're near Bedford, Indiana. I'm near Nineveh, Indiana. I have been making a gaming arcade machine for years. I use a client PC with a 32" LED monitor and a home made 400 Watt audio system. It's a work in progress but sounds and looks amazing.
This brings back a flood of memories. I remember watching my cousin playing the TRON arcade game at the theater and then seeing the movie. My nine year old mind was blown. I know the arcade game came out in August of 1980 (a full month after the film release) so it would have probably been September when we saw the movie. Thanks for bringing back this great piece of 80’s culture. Now, if I had just held on to all those Battlestar Gallactica toys ………
Beautiful. I restored a pair of San Francisco RUSH The Rock a few years back. I wanted to keep them after it was done, but they ended up going to a good home instead. I just found your channel today and I'm already thinking about getting back into arcade restoration again.
This video has been recommended to me a few times, but the length always scared me off, but it was really engrossing and so well done. I mean, that was one heck of a restoration! I wasn't sure about keeping the side graphics, but in the end you made them look really good. TRON is one of my favorites - such a great looking machine - and it's great to see one saved from the scrap heap. Great job!
I have some very fond memories of playing this game. Sadly it has never been included in any official, licensed arcade compilations, and it is unplayable on MAME because of the required spinner control. ETA: I would have thought that deterioated particleboard was beyond salvage. I am very impressed with the results!
Thanks! It is tough on an emulator to get the experience. It’s one reason I try to look for games to keep that are unique with their controls. But I’ll take anything in need of love :)
That is an impressive restoration. And one worth restoring back to its splendor. I'll never forget the first time I rounded the corner as a 10-year-old and seen this gleaming jewel at the now defunct Green Acres in Carmichael, CA. Nice job!
@tcurtis49 This Cab was certainly special. The glowing elements, back lighting, and sounds were different than anything else, and it was in stereo. Also, it was fun. This is in my imaginary personal arcade, along with Star Wars, Donkey Kong, Marble Madness, Spy Hunter, Elevator Action, Dragons Lair, Track and field, Joust, Battle Zone.
Impressive restoration. I really appreciated the inclusion of all of the fails and troubleshooting. Too many restoration videos skip the "warts." Well done.
Amazing job! Watched from stat to finish. Originally was just looking for info for sound issue that I’m having. Glad I watched the whole thing being new to arcade repair. Looks like you went above and beyond on this one.
Now do Discs of Tron!!!!! kidding, Great Work, I went to Disneyland when this movie was out, the arcade there had second monitors up top so everyone could watch you play.
Tron the movie have change my life, these movie made me gamer, i was a young boy at this time, my mom bought me intelivision with all the TRON games on it. So you understand how this restoration strike my heart :) ... but this cabinet wasn't my favorite, it was Disc of Tron who eat my coins, all... my coins (the Environmental/Cockpit cabinet was gorgeous with reflex miror system ... insane) Congrate for the hard work you've done !! Your passion is shining ...
Thanks so much! I hope I can find an EDOT someday…one was set on a curb near Chicago last year for the taking, so it is possible! I’m glad the video brought back good memories :)
I am 25 years old. I love you videos. What you do for the retro community is invaluable to us, whether most people my age know it not. The same goes for the 8-bit guy, adrian black, and all the other retro hobbyists out there. Your knowledge is invaluable. I know these are just video games, but they are a key part of history, so thank you.
I loved Tron back in the 80s, the arcade I used to go to had a stand-up one that you walk into and you play it standing up but it's a cabinet that you're fully inside of, the speakers were like a surround sound inside of it, was super cool!
That was probably the sequel, Environmental Discs of Tron. It had a really unique cabinet like you are describing. Unless maybe they made a version of that for the original Tron. I’m not sure.
This was great to watch and super informative. One thing I would've liked to see was how many man-hours of work went into the restoration, just to have an idea what a project like this would entail.
That's a good question. I know it's a lot, but in bursts. I don't leave a ton out of the videos as far as the process goes but do speed up/skim sections for time. It's definitely something that would not pay off as a job--the labor really adds up. For most of my restorations the Bondo/Filler and sanding/resanding takes the most effort and time. In this video there's a section where I am doing electronics and start with the transformer and power supply and go all the way through rebuilding the monitor and putting it all together on top of the table to get the game running. That was done in one day. Otherwise the rest was just kind of hit or miss--a few hours one morning, a couple another afternoon, and so on. No idea what the total would be though :)
Welcome, stumbler :) My channel languished in UA-cam oblivion for a long time but is apparently being blessed by the algorithm gods. I’m just glad people are entertained by it :)
Nice video. I do watch all kinds of nerdy stuff but almost 2 hours of arcade restore.. it's been great 🙂 Good call on the joystick too, I love it lighting up like that!
You sir, are a master. I would've not even started on this one. The worst I ever had was a seemingly (at some point) waterlogged Joust where I eventually gave up on the cabinet and traded it out for one in better condition, moving all the electronics etc. to the replacement. The guy I traded it to gave up on it too. I *did* warn him ahead of time.
I ask my self if it’s worth all the time and effort you put into restoring it, when starting from scratch seems the best option. But I guess you like the challenge and having a bit of history in your hands. Either way I admire the patience and dedication you have.
It’s all for fun. I enjoy the challenge. If I didn’t, I certainly wouldn’t do these kind of restorations as they certainly wouldn’t be financially worth all those labor hours :)
I absolutely enjoyed every minute of your restoration video. You are an absolute natural with your hands in woodwork, electronics etc. Thank you with your tips and I learnt a lot about how to discharge the monitor load and recapping the capacitors. My all time arcade cabinet game from the early 80s is the Williams Defender. Could you make this your next project please?
I'm impressed. I saw the water damage of that particle board and was thinking "use the cabined to make a replacement template, outsource for the graphics" but that would have been even more expensive I guess. Makes sense to have done the resin and filler pours. Well done sir, and you've taught me a thing or 2
I was impressed by the result and will likely try it again on my next project. But it would have been perfectly logical to just cut new sides. I certainly like to see what I can save whenever possible and was glad to keep the original sideart on it. Thanks!
This is so impressive. Not much phases me anymore these days, having been on the internet for so long now, but this craftsmanship and level of bravery to take this daunting project on in the first place, truly amazed me in the realest sense of the word.
I’m glad to help redeem the internet, at least for today :) Thanks for the nice compliment. Daunting is probably the best word to describe what I thought when I first saw it in person.
Great restoration! And despite the length of the video I never felt the need to fast forward because your editing and pacing is spot on. I know this was a lot of work. Great job!
I'd be so scared of somehow having a fire in that room with the carpet and valuable arcades! Great restoration though. Didn't think I'd sit through the entire length when I started haha
Me as well :) Glad you enjoyed it, though! And yes, it’s asking a lot to have someone watch such a long process and I assumed most would just skip to the end, but believe it or now the analytics show most people who get to the 1 minute mark make it to the end. Which is really cool.
Hey Tod! Your restoration of the Tron video game arcade is absolutely stunning. I was captivated by the transformation you achieved, and I want to thank you for sharing it with us. Your work is truly inspiring. It's incredible to hear that one of these units made it all the way to Zimbabwe Bulawayo in the early 1990s. It's a testament to the lasting impact and allure of these classic arcade games. The fact that they reached places like Zimbabwe truly showcases the power of imagination and the universal appeal of gaming. I'm in awe of the value you placed on preserving this piece of history. It's not just about the monetary costs, but the intrinsic value that these games hold for so many people. You've done an amazing job in saving precious memories and preserving the history of gaming. Sending warm greetings and best wishes from Cape Town, South Africa. Keep up the fantastic work, Tod!
Thanks so much and that is crazy. It’s definitely a special part of arcade history. Glad to have a viewer from so far away-amazing how video games help tie the world together :)
That’s a lot of passion to rebuild a cabinet in that condition. I have repaired particleboard furniture, using 30 minute two-part epoxy with micro balloons. It makes for a very strong Repair and the micro balloons thicken up the epoxy just enough to shape areas without the epoxy flowing out. I would love to have my own Tron cabinet someday but At this point, All I have is movie memorabilia and collectibles from the original movie as well as legacy. It is the one game I’ve dreamt about all my life ever since I walked into an arcade in 1982 put my first quarter in. My late father had taken me to see the movie and I was hooked from that very minute. I’m in the process of moving and will have a small Arcade room built, but I will only start with a legends ultimate. It’s funny that I’m obsessed with the game that I can only get through level three on each of the games.
Someone else suggested adding talc. Lately I’ve been using very fine sawdust and it works really well to thicken it just a bit. Glad you liked the video and good luck with the arcade!
Great video, music was fine for me too. I'm looking forward to watching the Pole Position restoration. Good luck with finding a bigger house to hold all your arcade games.
I just keep piling them in…and in the garage, my office, wherever :) Pole Position is interesting and just yesterday I picked up a gutted out cockpit version, so I may be making another one :)
30 minutes is usually my max for restorations like this, but I stayed for the whole video. A credit to the content and editing choices. It's great to see a beat up machine be brought back into service. This cabinet will sell all day long for at least $5k, so you did good as both an investment for future gamers as well as a monetary investment of sweat equity.
Thanks so much! I know the restoration videos are long, so I try to keep them moving at a decent pace, which requires a lot of editing for sure. I’m glad you enjoyed it!
I used to have a Battlezone I scored from the curb near my parents house when I was in college. After several years in their garage and I hadn't worked on fixing it I had to sell it on eBay. I hope it ended up somewhere good like this Tron did.
As someone who has put countless quarters in this particular game, I can say that watching this video was extremely enjoyable! I don’t normally watch videos that are this long, but I simply could not look away! It definitely brought me back to my days of managing an arcade. You’ve got quite this collection there!! Thanks for sharing!
I owned a coin-op route business from 1993 to 1999 with many locations from fun centers to convenience stores and any place that would let us put a machine in. That's where I first cut my teeth learning electronics diagnostics and repair and all kinds of other things. I purchased Randy Fromm's Arcade School on VHS, watched those and spent a good deal of time in the back of the Colorado Game Exchange with the repair techs learning from them. I moved on to other ventures, but I'll always have a deep love for arcades and arcade machines. You did a top notch job restoring this Tron! I really appreciate that you did everything properly and didn't do any hack jobs like I see a few other arcade (and automotive) channels do consistently. You earned a sub!
The hack that really grates on me is when they encourage sanding on point contacts/switches which will make them work temporarily but removes the thin high quality contact alloy metal exposing the cheap metal underneath that degrades quickly. The guy I purchased my first few machines from told me to sand those contacts with a nail file to clean them, and I completely ruined an antique electro-mechanical pinball machine doing that not long after. It was one of the techs at the CGE that taught me that contacts need cleaning, not sanding, and that the proper way is any chemical or non-abrasive that will remove gunk and polish but not damage the contact finish, one of his common tools was a simple pink eraser, sometimes with some contact cleaner; a pink eraser and D5 is my go to now. Some people laugh in my face when I try to teach them this eraser trick, but it works quick and easy without any damage. This works on any metal contact, points, edge connectors, pins, etc.
Thanks! I try to do what's best in the long run as much as possible by listening to the pros but always learning new things as I go. I've used a pink eraser forever cleaning contacts--I still do it from time to time, but once I got used to using a fiberglass brush and deoxit I've just stuck with it. Much appreciated and I am in the middle of some interesting projects right now that I can hopefully detail before long.
@@tcurtis49 I may have to try one of those fiberglass brushes, it looks like they work great. Everything I've watched you do from cabinet repair on that old dodgy fiber board to your ability to diagnose and decipher a schematic to get those crazy wonky old boards running if I was still running a coin-op route I would hire you immediately. I do think you've moved beyond just a hobbyist, you do a lot better job than several arcade channels that tout themselves as professional. If I didn't have so much going on right now I would be doing a cap kit on my stand up Double Dragon, you've kinda given me the bug again.
That's very kind and I've picked up a lot from doing it for so long. I started buying arcade games at auctions in the mid 1990s while in dental school in Indianapolis. I've always been a technology nerd and a computer programmer so that helped me understand the technical side of things. The rest has been trial and error, seeing what other people are doing, and having some artistic and hand coordination skills from being an orthodontist. But it really comes down to patience and taking things one step at a time. I appreciate the thought and hope you have fun when you get to the cap kit--I have 2 G07s to rebuild as part of my ongoing projects this weekend myself that I've been putting off.
A lot of work but very much worth the effort. Fantastic restore, great to see all the steps of the process. Both TRON and Satan's Hollow are great games with fantastic cabinet art, but TRON's is the best out of the two. Great video, thank you.
When I saw the condition of that cab I thought there's no way you're saving that thing, might as well just rebuild the cab. Boy was I wrong, you did a great job!
@@tcurtis49 I'm 40 minutes in and loving it! But, when you started replacing the art, I immediately wondered why you didn't do it all from scratch. You clearly have the skills! Maybe I'll find out later in the video?
I would not have imagined for one minute that the bottom could be saved. I just assumed you were going to build a whole new case and just use this for taking measurements and as a reference for where the graphics go.
One of the iconic arcade machines of my day, I'm insanely jealous of your abilities to get this from a messed up carcass to a cabinet that wouldn't look out of place in the mid 80's when I played them to death. Much respect man.
I'm always on the lookout for games that had some meaning for me. Getting them back to where I can feel those same feelings from walking around in an arcade in the 80s is really rewarding. I appreciate the kind words :)
Honestly, that is the best restoration video I have ever watched. I am an avid Tron film follower and to watch you practically rebuild it from start to finish was amazing.
Amazing to see you restore the water damage to the bottom of the cabinet! I didn't think the work you did was even possible! I also really love that you added Satan's Hollow in there! Such a great job!
Wow! First of these I have seen. But will go through and watch a lot more. May I suggest something? As you were panning and walking through your arcade there were sooo many great games glimpsed from my childhood! Gauntlet, Battlezone and now Tron. So my suggestion would be a "Tod's virtual arcade". A set of 3d rooms that we can wander around and see your collection. Not necessarily to play (that would be nice but grrrr copyright) but to walk up to, see the games, walk around the cabinets and clicking on the machines could bring up your build videos and the games history... What do you think? Saving our childhood one arcade cabinet at a time! Great work Tod!
Well--I'm not sure I can do that, but I do have the full collection walkthrough video that gets more in depth, and I will hopefully do deeper dives into more of what you see. Thanks!
@@tcurtis49 I may add a simple version to my list of projects in Godot. Building rooms would be easy. Cabinets and shelves too. A darklight shader for the carpet shouldn't be too hard either. Mocking up a few cabinets would be a little longer. Getting them closer to the real thing with decals etc would take longer. Will think about it over the next few weeks or so. Great job Tod!
I used to build wiring harnesses for a living. You should flag mark the wires on both ends, so if you encounter a problem in the future, or you sell the cab later, it will be easier to troubleshoot!!! Especially if you made any mods or changed a wire color during a splice!!! Nice job on the cab!!!! NEW SUB!!!
I will certainly try to do that. I had a lot more wiring harness fun on the Red Tent project. In all honesty, I think it’s fun making harnesses and connectors once you have the right tools :)
Man!!.. that's beautiful, I can still remember the spot where the machine was on my (then) local arcade, so many tokens but so many happy hours!!, I miss those arcade times. Excellent restoration btw! congrats!.
VERY soft spot in my heart for this game. As a wee lad, it was the game I'd gravitate to during our occasional visits to the local greasy spoon and the first time I ever saw it, it might as well have grabbed me by my collar and robbed me of all my quarters. Love at first sight. Now that you've finished this, does Strider sound like a project you'd be interested in? It's another one of those games that was basically an attract-mode with a game buried somewhere in it :D IYKYK: I'm sure now that I've brought it up, anyone reading this now has "HA HA HA HA HA ha ha ha" and "He'll never leave Eurasia alive" earworming them, lol.
That’s awesome :) It was just a fantastic cabinet design and I always dropped at least a couple of quarters into it. I rarely see arcade Striders and most of my experience with that game was on consoles. But a really good game for sure. I’m always on the lookout for anything interesting or in need of love, so who knows!
Amazing work, as a former vending / videogame / pinball repair tech, you did much more work than our 'professional' jobs. Congrats, and wonderful work.
Much appreciated. Time is not money when it’s just a hobby so I can take a little longer with the repairs and restorations, and sometimes go a little overboard. Thanks!
If I got that cabinet, I'd use it as a template to build a brand new one. That said, what you did was amazing.. you are totally a meticulous artist in how you repaired everything!
It's funny, I saw Tron at the theater back in the day but after watching Tron: Legacy the cut scenes here from the movie are kind of simple. Back there I remember blinking a lot at the theater trying to focus my eyes on the scenes. Your before and after on the console sure is a big transition. What a great job. Brought back a lot of fond memories at arcades playing this game. Oh also I used to work a lot with fiberglass and making models and original plugs for the molds. The Bondo you talked about the kick over or curing time. It also depends on the heat and humidity of the outside temperature on how must time you have to work with it.
@@tcurtis49 Definitely 😀 Oh forgot to mention I really like the new joystick. WIth it glowing that would have looked awesome in the arcades back in the day.
What a project, awesome. I was waiting to see what you would do with the side art since the early paint job. Cool that you could keep the original art.
Watching the electrical portion makes me miss working on aviation electronics like I did in the Navy. I worked I-level at AIMD. I used to love troubleshooting electronic boards with the Huntron Tracker 2 and an Oscilloscope, plus doing 3M soldering. I did a lot of work on a lot of different electronic systems as well as engine systems. It is not all that different than what he does in this video just we had more troubleshooting equipment options. You can do a lot like he did with the multimeter as well. Those were fun days as well as very busy days.
It's always satisfying doing troubleshooting. I have an oscilloscope now so I'm learning a few new things along the way. I definitely enjoy that part more than the cabinet work. Thanks!
I used to deliver, fix, and maintain video games in the early 80s. This was in a small town in Iowa, with our headquarters in Des Moines. Tron was one of the last games before I quit. I truly believe we were affiliated with the mob. Black limos don't usually make visits to small town Iowa, plus other observations
Haha…it seems like the mob had a hand in a lot of arcade operations back then from what I’ve heard…but the Iowa mob? I lived in Iowa City for 2 years in the 90s getting my Masters degree and it’s a pretty laid back state :)
@tcurtis49 Right before I started, he had been kicked out of Nebraska for having gambling machines. Sometimes, he couldn't make payroll, and we would empty the games for the quarters. Took bags to the bank.
It seems like I get a lot of that with my projects and you can definitely fix it, but it takes quite a bit of time and effort. Glad you liked the video!
When I was putting this together I just assumed most people would skip around to whatever parts they found interesting and ignore the rest. I didn’t realize that most watch the (what can be) boring electronics section anyway. So I think it’s cool that it keeps attention anyway. Glad you liked it!
Fascinating video! Maaan, Tron was easily the most bad-ass looking arcade game with the black lighting, glowing joystick and the trippy electronic sounds.
I started watching this, thinking, it's guna be boring and lots of stuff i don't understand, HOW WRONG I WAS!!! This was enthralling to watch, truly! I was wondering how you were going to fix the particle board on the base of Tron, I had no idea it could be saved like this! I write this half way through, as you are painting the front, I am wondering how you are going to restore the side art! I am rather excited for you! EXCELLENT WORK SIR.
I’m glad you like it. I try to show how you just take it one step at a time, and really these old games are giant puzzles to reassemble so it’s fun working through that process out loud and visually. Thanks!
I really appreciate how thorough you are, not only with the restoration but with the presentation and information as well. Very impressive to someone who grew up with these games but understands nothing about how they work. I played a lot of Tron back in the '80s. It was pretty common. One game that was not common was Satan's Hollow, which I only learned about as an adult, but it's a very good game with some interesting subtleties not found in other games, and it definitely ranks highly for me. I wonder what you thought of it.
I still haven’t played much of it. It seems like every time I get to a satisfying finish and can actually enjoy the games I have been working on, new opportunities come up and I’m on to the next one. I’ll definitely get some time in on it eventually. Thanks!
Clicked on this thinking it'd be a short 5 minutes or so. Stayed glued to the tube watching this to the end and enjoyed it thoroughly. Thanks for taking the time and effort documenting your restoration adventure for us all. Absolutely amazing! I wish you luck in future restorations and banana production.
Thanks! I knew I was doing something risky making them so long but it’s hard to feel like you’ve been a part of the journey on a short recap. I’m glad there are others like me that want to experience the whole process.
These restoration videos are an absolute joy; this was the perfect thing to watch on a Sunday morning. Can't wait to see your work on the Pole Position cabinet.
Thanks so much! Pole Position is not quite as intense so hopefully will be a little shorter video to put together. And I still have to wrap up the restore :)
Great video. Watched it start to finish. Back in the day (81, 82?) I spent all my quarters on a lonely "Starcastle" game at a local supermarket. Life moved on, but in @1998 I was at an auction house. They had a Starcastle game. It didn't work but I bought it for 10 bucks. It did not have a back plate. I closed the micro switch and it worked. I still have it to this day. I found spare main, power boards and a spare control panel. I also found the original repair manual. With all the spare parts It should outlive me. Other than a tiny audio issue it works perfect. It's still my favorite game.
In my youth I definitely took the cathode ray put of an old crt tv and used it to experiment with one of those old solar spinning bulbs with the black and white fins. I was able to make plasma inside the glass bulb and spin the fins with the electrons shooting out of the cathode. I will not tell my children about this until they're older.
Lol the banana outro.... never heard of putting banana trees in the garage before...I live in a slightly warmer climate though... Amazing restoration btw!
I wondered if anyone was watching my outros…I have a quick video about the banana trees and my quest to get a banana to grow. Garage is full of them right now but just a few weeks away from getting them back outside. Thanks for watching!
Well - I was wondering what to do with my late Friday evening and came across your post. Entertaining and informative and bringing a piece of history back to life. Great work .... sorry about your Banana drought.
Hello Tod. I was looking through my YT home feed and saw this video. I clicked on it and was ready to see your journey from start to finish. I enjoyed the editing and production and seeing you bring this old classic back from the trash heap. Thank you very much for this informative, enjoyable trek. I've subscribed to your channel and look forward to going through your archives and seeing all of the new videos you produce.
That’s very kind. I’m glad you find these enjoyable to watch-my main goal is to just have people feel like they are on the same journey of discovery with me as I go along. I have a couple of video game collecting videos to get to but am keeping my eyes open for the next epic arcade game restoration now that the weather is starting to warm up.
![Lp. Сердце Вселенной #60 РОЖДЕНИЕ ЛОЛОЛОШКИ [Финал] • Майнкрафт](http://i.ytimg.com/vi/YoR0pAV9FVQ/mqdefault.jpg)
I think enough time has passed that I can reveal a secret. At the time of the Movie's release, I worked in a mall across the hall from an arcade. Whenever their machines would malfunction, I would fix them. they always opened the machine doors for me and clicked off lots of credits. When the Tron machine arrived, the instructions said that they were to put it in the back room and not to put it out on the floor until the movie's opening day. they invited me over to play the game in the back room every night after closing. We played for hours every night for the next week. On opening day, everyone around me watching me play the game was amazed at how good I was on the first day!!
I think you are probably safe! That is really cool, for sure!
I'M TELLING!!!!!!!!!!
Report to the MCP game grid.
Expect a letter from Disney's lawyers.
You were basically a sandpit tester, excellent.
I am building a half-scale Tron arcade. This video helped me greatly understand how parts go together. Thank you.
Glad it helped and have fun with your project!
When I was a teenager, I worked at a print shop running an AB Dick 360 printing press. One of the jobs that I did was to print the decals for these Tron machines and the action figure packages. Generally, these types of artwork for machines are all done as a 4-color process (CMYK) printing but for Tron we had to print them using actual PMS colors individually. I still remember the headache I had trying to mix that red...it was worse than color matching Coca Cola red. If it was even slightly off, they would reject the entire batch of prints. One time, I had a batch of 150k prints get rejected because of 1 bad print. I had to take all the boxes home and go through them 1 at a time and pick out all the good ones, then print the remainder the next day. Luckily, I only needed to replace about 100 of them due to being the first prints off the line when the rollers weren't completely saturated.
Wow! That is quite a story. And crazy!
TOTALLY RAD 👍🏻😎
Kevin Flynn once said, “There’s No Problems, Only Solutions”
It's nice to see broken things made good again.
That’s what I enjoy :)
Thank you for the video. Three days ago, I bought a cabinet in very poor condition made of wood, and I was deeply regretting it, thinking I wouldn’t be able to fix it because the sides are very swollen or broken. I see that with a mix of resin, sawdust, wood glue, and filler, it can be repaired, and you’ve given me hope.
Good luck! Also don’t be too afraid to replace the bad wood with new if you have to. I personally like the challenge of repairing it but most people would start new. In any case I hope it turns out great!
@@tcurtis49 Thank you! I don't have much money or tools to cut wood (I only have a $10 jigsaw). I don’t even have a table to work on the wood; I’ll need to buy a couple of wooden sawhorses. But thanks to your videos, I now believe that with a lot of dedication, effort (and plenty of bondo), anything is possible. :)
Go for it! :)
I really didn't expect myself to sit here and watch the entire hour and 50 minutes, but it was so well put together. Awesome job - and game at that. LOVE the movies. Awesome stuff.
That’s great! I’m glad you enjoyed it :)
I thought the same thing. And then did the exact same thing. Then I ended up watching the Movie Tron in the afternoon 🤣
I was of the same thought speaking from 12 June 24
Same here. I took some breaks, but the video was strangely meditative.
Lol, same. It’s 1:40 am. Time to crash.
That water damage was beyond what I would have considered saveable. Kudos to you for brining it back from it's watery grave!
Yeah, I felt the same way for sure. I was close to cutting new sides but wanted to see what was possible. It certainly worked out in the end.
@@tcurtis49 The results are amazing! Very satisfying to see you repair the bottom like that.
I'd have taken off a larger chunk just to save time. I love restoring things, but actually recompressing the chipboard to its original form ...a bit too much for me. But it's nice to see someone be so meticulous.
I plan not to restore a cabinet, but to create a copy of the millepede cabaret, with modern replacement CPU (Pi or PC) but with a CRT.
@@tcurtis49 I make/restore guitar speaker cabinets. I wouldn't have been that patient. LOL I would have measured [and re-measured] to remake the cabinet from scratch out of birch ply.
He looked at this cabinet all Altered Beast style - "Rise from your grave"
Wow! That wasn't just a restoration, it was a resurrection! Excellent work!
Thanks! And I kind of agree- it was something!
surely there must be better caninets out there 🥸
@@ProtoType99468 probably for much more money. I wonder if he could've built a new one from scratch with the maple plywood more easily.
@@denimadept Probably but I bet it wouldn't feel as rewarding to build a new Tron cabinet as it probably does to save and restore one like this. Not only will the cabinet be special to Tod now but this cabinet which tons of people have probably got memories of playing at their arcade will continue on for a while longer now. Granted the original guts are gone but quite often even non-working things can be sentimental to people. Some of the people who even played on this very cabinet may see this and be glad it got an extra life.
I saw this video recommended to me from the 8-bit guy channel. That man has an arcade! Also, I love seeing stuff getting restored and 100% operational/functional. As for Tron, I have a lot of love for the old movie, Legacy was alright. However, the original was the best.
As per this channel, you have gained a new subscriber.
Glad you liked it and thanks for subscribing. Plenty more fun content to come :)
I remember when I first saw this movie, I thought it would be so AWESOME to live in a loft above my own full arcade. My friends would have been so envious.
I know-it would have been the ultimate :)
In the late 80s, when I was around 20, I was an electronics technician in the Navy, living in Maine. I went through a time where I would search through the local dump and get electronics to tinker with.
One day I found a "Moon Patrol" arcade game. I scabbed in a power supply and the darn thing worked! It had a little video garbage, but was playable. I hung onto it for a while, but it was lost to the kid-raising and moving of my 20s. 😢
That's a really good find :) It's certainly fun bringing games back to life--and not terribly complicated unless you are dealing with circuit board repairs. Most of them are pretty straightforward. Well, at least straightforward enough to get me into fixing them up!
@tcurtis49 I saw on the map in your video that you're near Bedford, Indiana. I'm near Nineveh, Indiana. I have been making a gaming arcade machine for years. I use a client PC with a 32" LED monitor and a home made 400 Watt audio system. It's a work in progress but sounds and looks amazing.
@@Twiddlerdammit Yep, not that far away. Sounds awesome :)
This brings back a flood of memories. I remember watching my cousin playing the TRON arcade game at the theater and then seeing the movie. My nine year old mind was blown. I know the arcade game came out in August of 1980 (a full month after the film release) so it would have probably been September when we saw the movie. Thanks for bringing back this great piece of 80’s culture. Now, if I had just held on to all those Battlestar Gallactica toys ………
I have the same kind of memories and it looks like Tron has a special place in many hearts :)
Kudos on the great work and exceptional documentation of the process! 🖤
Thanks!
Beautiful. I restored a pair of San Francisco RUSH The Rock a few years back. I wanted to keep them after it was done, but they ended up going to a good home instead. I just found your channel today and I'm already thinking about getting back into arcade restoration again.
Very cool! I love racing games but they take up so much space…
@@tcurtis49 Yeah... That's unfortunately why I don't have them anymore. :)
This video has been recommended to me a few times, but the length always scared me off, but it was really engrossing and so well done. I mean, that was one heck of a restoration! I wasn't sure about keeping the side graphics, but in the end you made them look really good. TRON is one of my favorites - such a great looking machine - and it's great to see one saved from the scrap heap. Great job!
Thanks! I was glad I could salvage the original sideart and have it look relatively normal. It was a fun restoration :)
I have some very fond memories of playing this game.
Sadly it has never been included in any official, licensed arcade compilations, and it is unplayable on MAME because of the required spinner control.
ETA: I would have thought that deterioated particleboard was beyond salvage. I am very impressed with the results!
Thanks! It is tough on an emulator to get the experience. It’s one reason I try to look for games to keep that are unique with their controls. But I’ll take anything in need of love :)
That is an impressive restoration. And one worth restoring back to its splendor. I'll never forget the first time I rounded the corner as a 10-year-old and seen this gleaming jewel at the now defunct Green Acres in Carmichael, CA. Nice job!
Thanks! Seems like this game brings back a lot of memories :)
@tcurtis49 This Cab was certainly special. The glowing elements, back lighting, and sounds were different than anything else, and it was in stereo. Also, it was fun. This is in my imaginary personal arcade, along with Star Wars, Donkey Kong, Marble Madness, Spy Hunter, Elevator Action, Dragons Lair, Track and field, Joust, Battle Zone.
That's a great list...I have a few but am always watching out for those others...
Impressive restoration. I really appreciated the inclusion of all of the fails and troubleshooting. Too many restoration videos skip the "warts." Well done.
I feel the same way. You learn from your own mistakes and shortcomings and from watching others. I don’t mind sharing my missteps :)
Amazing job! Watched from stat to finish. Originally was just looking for info for sound issue that I’m having. Glad I watched the whole thing being new to arcade repair. Looks like you went above and beyond on this one.
It was a big one, for sure. Glad you found it entertaining and I hope it helps you out!
Today...it is truly a treasure to be able to play those old arcade games of the early eighties.For someone who is about 55 now....its very nostalgic..
Definitely!
@@djsi38t I'm with ya. I thought it was gone forever.
Now do Discs of Tron!!!!! kidding, Great Work, I went to Disneyland when this movie was out, the arcade there had second monitors up top so everyone could watch you play.
If I find one, I will! And I’ve seen pictures with the 2nd monitor-that extra weight had to strain these poorly designed cabinets. But certainly cool!
Dang, dude. A Tron machine right next to Gauntlet? My two all-time favorites.
I've been lucky to find many of my favorites over the years. Gauntlet is certainly awesome :)
Tron the movie have change my life, these movie made me gamer, i was a young boy at this time, my mom bought me intelivision with all the TRON games on it. So you understand how this restoration strike my heart :) ... but this cabinet wasn't my favorite, it was Disc of Tron who eat my coins, all... my coins (the Environmental/Cockpit cabinet was gorgeous with reflex miror system ... insane)
Congrate for the hard work you've done !! Your passion is shining ...
Thanks so much! I hope I can find an EDOT someday…one was set on a curb near Chicago last year for the taking, so it is possible! I’m glad the video brought back good memories :)
I am 25 years old. I love you videos. What you do for the retro community is invaluable to us, whether most people my age know it not. The same goes for the 8-bit guy, adrian black, and all the other retro hobbyists out there. Your knowledge is invaluable. I know these are just video games, but they are a key part of history, so thank you.
Glad you like them! Thanks!
I loved Tron back in the 80s, the arcade I used to go to had a stand-up one that you walk into and you play it standing up but it's a cabinet that you're fully inside of, the speakers were like a surround sound inside of it, was super cool!
That was probably the sequel, Environmental Discs of Tron. It had a really unique cabinet like you are describing. Unless maybe they made a version of that for the original Tron. I’m not sure.
@@tcurtis49 Yeah, I'm not sure I was a teenager Back then. I just remember the tron game.
This was great to watch and super informative. One thing I would've liked to see was how many man-hours of work went into the restoration, just to have an idea what a project like this would entail.
That's a good question. I know it's a lot, but in bursts. I don't leave a ton out of the videos as far as the process goes but do speed up/skim sections for time. It's definitely something that would not pay off as a job--the labor really adds up. For most of my restorations the Bondo/Filler and sanding/resanding takes the most effort and time. In this video there's a section where I am doing electronics and start with the transformer and power supply and go all the way through rebuilding the monitor and putting it all together on top of the table to get the game running. That was done in one day. Otherwise the rest was just kind of hit or miss--a few hours one morning, a couple another afternoon, and so on. No idea what the total would be though :)
I just stumbled upon this channel yesterday and wow, what awesome content! Excellent work!!!
Welcome, stumbler :) My channel languished in UA-cam oblivion for a long time but is apparently being blessed by the algorithm gods. I’m just glad people are entertained by it :)
Nice video. I do watch all kinds of nerdy stuff but almost 2 hours of arcade restore.. it's been great 🙂 Good call on the joystick too, I love it lighting up like that!
Thanks!
The amount of work care and precision is amazing
Thanks!
You sir, are a master. I would've not even started on this one. The worst I ever had was a seemingly (at some point) waterlogged Joust where I eventually gave up on the cabinet and traded it out for one in better condition, moving all the electronics etc. to the replacement. The guy I traded it to gave up on it too. I *did* warn him ahead of time.
I have yet to give up on one but certainly question my sanity :) Thanks!
I ask my self if it’s worth all the time and effort you put into restoring it, when starting from scratch seems the best option. But I guess you like the challenge and having a bit of history in your hands. Either way I admire the patience and dedication you have.
It’s all for fun. I enjoy the challenge. If I didn’t, I certainly wouldn’t do these kind of restorations as they certainly wouldn’t be financially worth all those labor hours :)
I absolutely enjoyed every minute of your restoration video. You are an absolute natural with your hands in woodwork, electronics etc. Thank you with your tips and I learnt a lot about how to discharge the monitor load and recapping the capacitors. My all time arcade cabinet game from the early 80s is the Williams Defender. Could you make this your next project please?
I may eventually do Defender-it brings back memories for me as well. I never know what I’ll find and when :)
I'm impressed. I saw the water damage of that particle board and was thinking "use the cabined to make a replacement template, outsource for the graphics" but that would have been even more expensive I guess. Makes sense to have done the resin and filler pours. Well done sir, and you've taught me a thing or 2
I was impressed by the result and will likely try it again on my next project. But it would have been perfectly logical to just cut new sides. I certainly like to see what I can save whenever possible and was glad to keep the original sideart on it. Thanks!
I used to play this at a fish and chip shop in London, back in the day. Amazing work. Subscribed!
Awesome :) Thanks!
This is so impressive. Not much phases me anymore these days, having been on the internet for so long now, but this craftsmanship and level of bravery to take this daunting project on in the first place, truly amazed me in the realest sense of the word.
I’m glad to help redeem the internet, at least for today :) Thanks for the nice compliment. Daunting is probably the best word to describe what I thought when I first saw it in person.
Very nice! I have such fond memories of playing Tron in the back of a pizza shop as a kid. Great to see one resurrected.
Tron evokes a lot of happy arcade memories for me-I always played a couple of quarters on it.
Great restoration! And despite the length of the video I never felt the need to fast forward because your editing and pacing is spot on. I know this was a lot of work. Great job!
Thanks! Yes, a lot of work…but worth it if people get enjoyment out of watching. I appreciate the compliment!
This was great! Don't normally watch these but it came up and I loved TRON in the arcade so stuck around and watched the whole thing. Great work!
Thanks! Glad you liked it :)
Tron had some of the strongest 'vibes' of any arcade cabinet! Nice work Tod!
Thanks! It sure did!
It was very atmospheric.
I'd be so scared of somehow having a fire in that room with the carpet and valuable arcades!
Great restoration though. Didn't think I'd sit through the entire length when I started haha
Me as well :) Glad you enjoyed it, though! And yes, it’s asking a lot to have someone watch such a long process and I assumed most would just skip to the end, but believe it or now the analytics show most people who get to the 1 minute mark make it to the end. Which is really cool.
Hey Tod! Your restoration of the Tron video game arcade is absolutely stunning. I was captivated by the transformation you achieved, and I want to thank you for sharing it with us. Your work is truly inspiring.
It's incredible to hear that one of these units made it all the way to Zimbabwe Bulawayo in the early 1990s. It's a testament to the lasting impact and allure of these classic arcade games. The fact that they reached places like Zimbabwe truly showcases the power of imagination and the universal appeal of gaming.
I'm in awe of the value you placed on preserving this piece of history. It's not just about the monetary costs, but the intrinsic value that these games hold for so many people. You've done an amazing job in saving precious memories and preserving the history of gaming.
Sending warm greetings and best wishes from Cape Town, South Africa. Keep up the fantastic work, Tod!
Thanks so much and that is crazy. It’s definitely a special part of arcade history. Glad to have a viewer from so far away-amazing how video games help tie the world together :)
That’s a lot of passion to rebuild a cabinet in that condition. I have repaired particleboard furniture, using 30 minute two-part epoxy with micro balloons. It makes for a very strong Repair and the micro balloons thicken up the epoxy just enough to shape areas without the epoxy flowing out. I would love to have my own Tron cabinet someday but At this point, All I have is movie memorabilia and collectibles from the original movie as well as legacy. It is the one game I’ve dreamt about all my life ever since I walked into an arcade in 1982 put my first quarter in. My late father had taken me to see the movie and I was hooked from that very minute. I’m in the process of moving and will have a small Arcade room built, but I will only start with a legends ultimate. It’s funny that I’m obsessed with the game that I can only get through level three on each of the games.
Someone else suggested adding talc. Lately I’ve been using very fine sawdust and it works really well to thicken it just a bit. Glad you liked the video and good luck with the arcade!
What a fantastic restoration, clearly a labour of love on show!
Thanks!
Great video, music was fine for me too. I'm looking forward to watching the Pole Position restoration. Good luck with finding a bigger house to hold all your arcade games.
I just keep piling them in…and in the garage, my office, wherever :) Pole Position is interesting and just yesterday I picked up a gutted out cockpit version, so I may be making another one :)
Wells gardner monitor. Used to repair those games and monitors back in the 80's. Repaired thousands of them. Still have my blue soldapullt.
I’m always happy to work on old WG monitors. Got 2 G07s on the table right now. Haven’t seen one I couldn’t repair yet :)
This is incredible. You did an excellent job with filming and narration. Well done.
Thanks!
I have memories of original trons having those color patterns on the side. Its been a long time since I saw one.
Yes, I have found that it is perfectly normal for Tron and some related games after all.
This was always my favorite game back in the day
30 minutes is usually my max for restorations like this, but I stayed for the whole video. A credit to the content and editing choices. It's great to see a beat up machine be brought back into service. This cabinet will sell all day long for at least $5k, so you did good as both an investment for future gamers as well as a monetary investment of sweat equity.
Thanks so much! I know the restoration videos are long, so I try to keep them moving at a decent pace, which requires a lot of editing for sure. I’m glad you enjoyed it!
I used to have a Battlezone I scored from the curb near my parents house when I was in college. After several years in their garage and I hadn't worked on fixing it I had to sell it on eBay. I hope it ended up somewhere good like this Tron did.
I hope so! It’s a classic :)
Absolutely STUNNING!!! You have earned a new subscriber!! Time to spend some time watching some of your older videos. Nice works, Sir!
Thanks! Glad you liked it. The Red Tent is on par difficulty-wise, for sure!
As someone who has put countless quarters in this particular game, I can say that watching this video was extremely enjoyable! I don’t normally watch videos that are this long, but I simply could not look away! It definitely brought me back to my days of managing an arcade. You’ve got quite this collection there!! Thanks for sharing!
I'm also surprised how many people watch it all the way through. I'm glad you enjoyed it!
Thank you for saving one of my favorite arcade games. I'm jealous that you have Galaga.
Galaga gets played more than any other game by visitors, I think. A true classic :)
I owned a coin-op route business from 1993 to 1999 with many locations from fun centers to convenience stores and any place that would let us put a machine in. That's where I first cut my teeth learning electronics diagnostics and repair and all kinds of other things. I purchased Randy Fromm's Arcade School on VHS, watched those and spent a good deal of time in the back of the Colorado Game Exchange with the repair techs learning from them. I moved on to other ventures, but I'll always have a deep love for arcades and arcade machines.
You did a top notch job restoring this Tron! I really appreciate that you did everything properly and didn't do any hack jobs like I see a few other arcade (and automotive) channels do consistently. You earned a sub!
The hack that really grates on me is when they encourage sanding on point contacts/switches which will make them work temporarily but removes the thin high quality contact alloy metal exposing the cheap metal underneath that degrades quickly. The guy I purchased my first few machines from told me to sand those contacts with a nail file to clean them, and I completely ruined an antique electro-mechanical pinball machine doing that not long after.
It was one of the techs at the CGE that taught me that contacts need cleaning, not sanding, and that the proper way is any chemical or non-abrasive that will remove gunk and polish but not damage the contact finish, one of his common tools was a simple pink eraser, sometimes with some contact cleaner; a pink eraser and D5 is my go to now. Some people laugh in my face when I try to teach them this eraser trick, but it works quick and easy without any damage. This works on any metal contact, points, edge connectors, pins, etc.
Thanks! I try to do what's best in the long run as much as possible by listening to the pros but always learning new things as I go. I've used a pink eraser forever cleaning contacts--I still do it from time to time, but once I got used to using a fiberglass brush and deoxit I've just stuck with it. Much appreciated and I am in the middle of some interesting projects right now that I can hopefully detail before long.
@@tcurtis49 I may have to try one of those fiberglass brushes, it looks like they work great.
Everything I've watched you do from cabinet repair on that old dodgy fiber board to your ability to diagnose and decipher a schematic to get those crazy wonky old boards running if I was still running a coin-op route I would hire you immediately. I do think you've moved beyond just a hobbyist, you do a lot better job than several arcade channels that tout themselves as professional.
If I didn't have so much going on right now I would be doing a cap kit on my stand up Double Dragon, you've kinda given me the bug again.
That's very kind and I've picked up a lot from doing it for so long. I started buying arcade games at auctions in the mid 1990s while in dental school in Indianapolis. I've always been a technology nerd and a computer programmer so that helped me understand the technical side of things. The rest has been trial and error, seeing what other people are doing, and having some artistic and hand coordination skills from being an orthodontist. But it really comes down to patience and taking things one step at a time. I appreciate the thought and hope you have fun when you get to the cap kit--I have 2 G07s to rebuild as part of my ongoing projects this weekend myself that I've been putting off.
@@tcurtis49 I'm looking forward to your future videos!
A lot of work but very much worth the effort. Fantastic restore, great to see all the steps of the process. Both TRON and Satan's Hollow are great games with fantastic cabinet art, but TRON's is the best out of the two.
Great video, thank you.
Thanks for the kind words!
When I saw the condition of that cab I thought there's no way you're saving that thing, might as well just rebuild the cab. Boy was I wrong, you did a great job!
It would have been easier in the end but I’m glad to keep it as original as I can. Thanks!
@@tcurtis49 I'm 40 minutes in and loving it! But, when you started replacing the art, I immediately wondered why you didn't do it all from scratch. You clearly have the skills! Maybe I'll find out later in the video?
Actually, the answer is obvious. This made a great video!
@@halloweenengineer6283yeah there's just so much rot, fresh cab makes a lot more sense
You are not wrong he should have use used the old box for the dimensions and went with new wood. There's a time it's not worth saving
I would not have imagined for one minute that the bottom could be saved. I just assumed you were going to build a whole new case and just use this for taking measurements and as a reference for where the graphics go.
It might have been easier but was definitely more satisfying fixing the old :) Thanks!
One of the iconic arcade machines of my day, I'm insanely jealous of your abilities to get this from a messed up carcass to a cabinet that wouldn't look out of place in the mid 80's when I played them to death. Much respect man.
I'm always on the lookout for games that had some meaning for me. Getting them back to where I can feel those same feelings from walking around in an arcade in the 80s is really rewarding. I appreciate the kind words :)
Amazing job , nice to have saved another arcade game 😊
Thanks!
Honestly, that is the best restoration video I have ever watched.
I am an avid Tron film follower and to watch you practically rebuild it from start to finish was amazing.
Glad you enjoyed it!
Amazing to see you restore the water damage to the bottom of the cabinet! I didn't think the work you did was even possible! I also really love that you added Satan's Hollow in there! Such a great job!
Much appreciated. Next epic video will go out around Thanksgiving-not as much water damage but plenty to fix!
I used to love playing Sinistar and Gallaga !
Me as well!
Wow! First of these I have seen. But will go through and watch a lot more. May I suggest something? As you were panning and walking through your arcade there were sooo many great games glimpsed from my childhood! Gauntlet, Battlezone and now Tron. So my suggestion would be a "Tod's virtual arcade". A set of 3d rooms that we can wander around and see your collection. Not necessarily to play (that would be nice but grrrr copyright) but to walk up to, see the games, walk around the cabinets and clicking on the machines could bring up your build videos and the games history... What do you think?
Saving our childhood one arcade cabinet at a time!
Great work Tod!
Well--I'm not sure I can do that, but I do have the full collection walkthrough video that gets more in depth, and I will hopefully do deeper dives into more of what you see. Thanks!
@@tcurtis49 I may add a simple version to my list of projects in Godot. Building rooms would be easy. Cabinets and shelves too. A darklight shader for the carpet shouldn't be too hard either. Mocking up a few cabinets would be a little longer. Getting them closer to the real thing with decals etc would take longer. Will think about it over the next few weeks or so. Great job Tod!
I used to build wiring harnesses for a living. You should flag mark the wires on both ends, so if you encounter a problem in the future, or you sell the cab later, it will be easier to troubleshoot!!! Especially if you made any mods or changed a wire color during a splice!!! Nice job on the cab!!!! NEW SUB!!!
I will certainly try to do that. I had a lot more wiring harness fun on the Red Tent project. In all honesty, I think it’s fun making harnesses and connectors once you have the right tools :)
Man!!.. that's beautiful, I can still remember the spot where the machine was on my (then) local arcade, so many tokens but so many happy hours!!, I miss those arcade times. Excellent restoration btw! congrats!.
VERY soft spot in my heart for this game. As a wee lad, it was the game I'd gravitate to during our occasional visits to the local greasy spoon and the first time I ever saw it, it might as well have grabbed me by my collar and robbed me of all my quarters. Love at first sight.
Now that you've finished this, does Strider sound like a project you'd be interested in? It's another one of those games that was basically an attract-mode with a game buried somewhere in it :D
IYKYK: I'm sure now that I've brought it up, anyone reading this now has "HA HA HA HA HA ha ha ha" and "He'll never leave Eurasia alive" earworming them, lol.
That’s awesome :) It was just a fantastic cabinet design and I always dropped at least a couple of quarters into it.
I rarely see arcade Striders and most of my experience with that game was on consoles. But a really good game for sure. I’m always on the lookout for anything interesting or in need of love, so who knows!
Amazing work, as a former vending / videogame / pinball repair tech, you did much more work than our 'professional' jobs. Congrats, and wonderful work.
Much appreciated. Time is not money when it’s just a hobby so I can take a little longer with the repairs and restorations, and sometimes go a little overboard. Thanks!
If I got that cabinet, I'd use it as a template to build a brand new one. That said, what you did was amazing.. you are totally a meticulous artist in how you repaired everything!
There are already templates out there, as well as new cabinets in this shape. But that’s not as much fun :)
@@tcurtis49 Yes for sure. The challenge can be a big part of it.
Dang this video brought back some memories, the hours I spent hanging out at the local arcade and the quarters I pumped into this game.
Great memories!
It's funny, I saw Tron at the theater back in the day but after watching Tron: Legacy the cut scenes here from the movie are kind of simple. Back there I remember blinking a lot at the theater trying to focus my eyes on the scenes. Your before and after on the console sure is a big transition. What a great job. Brought back a lot of fond memories at arcades playing this game. Oh also I used to work a lot with fiberglass and making models and original plugs for the molds. The Bondo you talked about the kick over or curing time. It also depends on the heat and humidity of the outside temperature on how must time you have to work with it.
Thanks! Looks like I rekindled a lot of memories of both the game and the movie with the project. So cool!
@@tcurtis49 Definitely 😀 Oh forgot to mention I really like the new joystick. WIth it glowing that would have looked awesome in the arcades back in the day.
I remember Tron in one of my local arcades, about 45 years ago. Glad to see its still appreciated. 😊
It’s a classic!
What a project, awesome. I was waiting to see what you would do with the side art since the early paint job. Cool that you could keep the original art.
Thanks!
Watching the electrical portion makes me miss working on aviation electronics like I did in the Navy. I worked I-level at AIMD. I used to love troubleshooting electronic boards with the Huntron Tracker 2 and an Oscilloscope, plus doing 3M soldering. I did a lot of work on a lot of different electronic systems as well as engine systems. It is not all that different than what he does in this video just we had more troubleshooting equipment options. You can do a lot like he did with the multimeter as well. Those were fun days as well as very busy days.
It's always satisfying doing troubleshooting. I have an oscilloscope now so I'm learning a few new things along the way. I definitely enjoy that part more than the cabinet work. Thanks!
2.30am here in the UK, just watched it all in complete awe. Very impressive work! Congratulations on a superb job, Tod!
Thanks! Ton of UK viewers lately. That’s great!
@@tcurtis49 Another UK viewer here - great job man! :) Liked and Subscribed.
I used to deliver, fix, and maintain video games in the early 80s. This was in a small town in Iowa, with our headquarters in Des Moines. Tron was one of the last games before I quit. I truly believe we were affiliated with the mob. Black limos don't usually make visits to small town Iowa, plus other observations
Haha…it seems like the mob had a hand in a lot of arcade operations back then from what I’ve heard…but the Iowa mob? I lived in Iowa City for 2 years in the 90s getting my Masters degree and it’s a pretty laid back state :)
@tcurtis49 Right before I started, he had been kicked out of Nebraska for having gambling machines. Sometimes, he couldn't make payroll, and we would empty the games for the quarters. Took bags to the bank.
Wow, awesome restoration. I never thought you can "repair" that swollen particle board that good. Well done!!
It seems like I get a lot of that with my projects and you can definitely fix it, but it takes quite a bit of time and effort. Glad you liked the video!
That circuit board that you are replacing the caps on is one of the best boards I have ever seen. That must have been fun to work on.
It was a fun project for sure :)
@tcurtis49 everything on that board was marked for easy replacement. Now days you be lucky to get any annotations on a pcb
@@theboz1419 Yeah they were nicely labeled back then, for sure!
I was completely lost during the electronics section but watched the whole thing anyway. Incredible work!
When I was putting this together I just assumed most people would skip around to whatever parts they found interesting and ignore the rest. I didn’t realize that most watch the (what can be) boring electronics section anyway. So I think it’s cool that it keeps attention anyway. Glad you liked it!
Not boring! I’ve just got a whole new world to learn about
Wow the nostalgia. The cone usually ended me. Sneaking in at the last possible moment was always a rush. Great project and video thanks man.
Thanks! It is a fantastic game to play…I loved it back in the day.
That was a enjoyable journey! ^^ Also the wax trick for the side art blew my mind ngl. It makes such a big difference.
Thanks! I was really happy to be able to keep the original sideart and have it look pretty sharp. The wax certainly brought it back to life :)
User! . You are the ultimate Game Warrior. End of Line -MCP
Would love to see an old, table-top, Silverball machine😊
Fascinating video! Maaan, Tron was easily the most bad-ass looking arcade game with the black lighting, glowing joystick and the trippy electronic sounds.
I know, it’s awesome!
I started watching this, thinking, it's guna be boring and lots of stuff i don't understand, HOW WRONG I WAS!!! This was enthralling to watch, truly! I was wondering how you were going to fix the particle board on the base of Tron, I had no idea it could be saved like this! I write this half way through, as you are painting the front, I am wondering how you are going to restore the side art! I am rather excited for you! EXCELLENT WORK SIR.
I’m glad you like it. I try to show how you just take it one step at a time, and really these old games are giant puzzles to reassemble so it’s fun working through that process out loud and visually. Thanks!
A solder vacuum is a game changer. I don't even mind doing cap kits anymore. It's almost therapy at this poing.
I agree. It is kind of therapeutic to me as well!
I really appreciate how thorough you are, not only with the restoration but with the presentation and information as well. Very impressive to someone who grew up with these games but understands nothing about how they work. I played a lot of Tron back in the '80s. It was pretty common. One game that was not common was Satan's Hollow, which I only learned about as an adult, but it's a very good game with some interesting subtleties not found in other games, and it definitely ranks highly for me. I wonder what you thought of it.
I still haven’t played much of it. It seems like every time I get to a satisfying finish and can actually enjoy the games I have been working on, new opportunities come up and I’m on to the next one. I’ll definitely get some time in on it eventually. Thanks!
@@tcurtis49 That rose is not going to sniff itself.
Haha
I was cringing when I first saw that cabinet. But your repair know how really blew me away. great video!
Thanks!
What an amazing journey! Thanks for sharing!
Thanks for watching!
Clicked on this thinking it'd be a short 5 minutes or so. Stayed glued to the tube watching this to the end and enjoyed it thoroughly. Thanks for taking the time and effort documenting your restoration adventure for us all. Absolutely amazing! I wish you luck in future restorations and banana production.
Thanks! I knew I was doing something risky making them so long but it’s hard to feel like you’ve been a part of the journey on a short recap. I’m glad there are others like me that want to experience the whole process.
Same here. The video was almost finished before I realized the length of the video. Great work on both the machine and keeping the video interesting 🙂
I've heard that LED backlights for marquees are better. No discoloration of marquees and less power usage. Great video!!
Absolutely. The reduction in heat is a major benefit to protecting the marquee as well.
These restoration videos are an absolute joy; this was the perfect thing to watch on a Sunday morning. Can't wait to see your work on the Pole Position cabinet.
Thanks so much! Pole Position is not quite as intense so hopefully will be a little shorter video to put together. And I still have to wrap up the restore :)
Great video. Watched it start to finish. Back in the day (81, 82?) I spent all my quarters on a lonely "Starcastle" game at a local supermarket. Life moved on, but in @1998 I was at an auction house. They had a Starcastle game. It didn't work but I bought it for 10 bucks. It did not have a back plate. I closed the micro switch and it worked. I still have it to this day. I found spare main, power boards and a spare control panel. I also found the original repair manual. With all the spare parts It should outlive me. Other than a tiny audio issue it works perfect. It's still my favorite game.
That is a good one! I bought several games back in the day as non-working only to be that switch on the back door needing set. Easy fix :) Thanks!
Just wanted to say thanks for saving a part of gaming history and keeping this gem out of the landfill.
Thanks!
In my youth I definitely took the cathode ray put of an old crt tv and used it to experiment with one of those old solar spinning bulbs with the black and white fins. I was able to make plasma inside the glass bulb and spin the fins with the electrons shooting out of the cathode. I will not tell my children about this until they're older.
I hope you don’t glow in the dark :)
Lol the banana outro.... never heard of putting banana trees in the garage before...I live in a slightly warmer climate though...
Amazing restoration btw!
I wondered if anyone was watching my outros…I have a quick video about the banana trees and my quest to get a banana to grow. Garage is full of them right now but just a few weeks away from getting them back outside. Thanks for watching!
Well - I was wondering what to do with my late Friday evening and came across your post. Entertaining and informative and bringing a piece of history back to life. Great work .... sorry about your Banana drought.
Thanks! Hey, the bananas are out for another year now so there’s always hope! Glad you enjoyed the video :)
Beautiful! It's so cool that people keep these important pieces of game history alive.
Thanks!
Hey tod I came back to this video from after watching the newer quieter version and I actually like this one better😂
Lol. I prefer this one as well but am glad to cater to those who like it more subtle :
@@tcurtis49 haha ya makes sense.
Hello Tod. I was looking through my YT home feed and saw this video. I clicked on it and was ready to see your journey from start to finish. I enjoyed the editing and production and seeing you bring this old classic back from the trash heap. Thank you very much for this informative, enjoyable trek. I've subscribed to your channel and look forward to going through your archives and seeing all of the new videos you produce.
That’s very kind. I’m glad you find these enjoyable to watch-my main goal is to just have people feel like they are on the same journey of discovery with me as I go along. I have a couple of video game collecting videos to get to but am keeping my eyes open for the next epic arcade game restoration now that the weather is starting to warm up.